THE Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, yesterday, raised the alarm that some politicians have been buying up Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, and financially inducing unsuspecting voters to harvest their Voter Identification Numbers ahead of the 2023 general elections.

The revelation by INEC, however, elicited angry reactions from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Labour Party, LP, and regional bodies such as the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Middle Belt Forum, MBF.

Raising the alarm during the launch of #YourVoteMatters project by an election observer group, NESSACTION, in Abuja, the National Commissioner overseeing the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau states, Mohammed Haruna, disclosed that two people were recently convicted for illegal possession of PVCs in Sokoto and Kano states.

The project, supported by the International Foundation for Electoral System, IFES, the United States Agency for International Development, USAID, and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, FCDO, seeks to assist INEC in increasing the number of PVCs collected ahead of the 2023 general elections as well as the voters mobilised on Election Day.

Speaking, the INEC National Commissioner, said: “We are aware some politicians are more or less buying the PVCs. If you collect the PVC and then you sell it out or allow someone else to have it, you are aiding illegal possession of the PVC which is an offence in our Electoral Act.

“Some of you are aware that only recently, INEC managed to convict two people, who were found guilty of illegal possession of PVCs in Kano and Sokoto. So, I urge people to connect their PVCs, keep it safe, and make sure that on Election Day, you go out there and cast your votes because, of course, without your PVC you cannot vote.”

In her remarks, Executive Director of NESSACTION, Ambassador Eniola Cole, explained that the project slated for implementation in the FCT, Nasarawa, and Plateau states, will provide logistics that will generate incentives in communities with low PVC collection rates.

Cole said: “We implore the general public to take advantage of the timeframe set by INEC for PVC collection at the Commission’s LGA offices nationwide from December 12, 2022 to January 5, 2023, and at the 8809 Registration Areas from January 6-22, 2023 including Saturdays and Sundays.

“The public can, through dedicated channels, inform us of their location to receive support including the PVC collection buses and community outreach activities to be conducted at the local level in each state by our community mobilisation officers.”

A worrisome development — PDP

Reacting to the alarm, the PDP, yesterday, described the development as worrisome and a threat to democracy if found to be true.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Debo Ologunagba, in a chat with Vanguard, urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the security services to up their game by ensuring that the claim was thoroughly investigated and those found culpable in the ugly trade are apprehended and brought to justice.

Ologunagba said: “The alarm raised by INEC should not be taken lightly because in the last couple of weeks, Nigerians have seen an upsurge in the desperate tactics by the ruling All Progressives Congress, to grab and retain power by all means including the purchase of PVCs from gullible people.

“The party has weaponized poverty which it intends to use to cow Nigerians into doing its bidding.

“You will recall the trending video in which the Presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was seen and heard urging his campaign team members to grab, snatch, run away with political power by all means. The authenticity of the video has not been denied.

“Nigerians are also aware that it was the same APC candidate, who refused to sign the Peace Accord.

“The APC and its candidate have also voiced their opposition to the use of BVAS which is an innovation by INEC to improve the quality of our electoral process.

“With all of these tale signs of desperation from the outgoing ruling party, need Nigerians to look any further than the APC?

“As we speak, the APC candidate is yet to tell Nigerians what he intends to do if in the unlikely event he wins.

“The only opportunity which he was given outside the shores of this country, in Chatham House London to be precise, he bungled it by revealing to Nigerians that he intends to unleash a government by proxy.

“While we await a thorough investigation to unravel the extent to which APCs desperation has led it into seeking to criminally manipulate our electoral process to subvert the will of Nigerians, we implore our security agencies and President Buhari, to remain faithful to their promise to bequeath a credible, free and fair election come 2023.”

Those who weaponized poverty behind the purchase of PVCs — LP

On its part, the Presidential Campaign Council of the Labour Party tasked security agencies and INEC not to look any further than politicians and political parties, who have over the years, weaponized poverty when looking for masterminds of the purchase of Permanent Voter Cards.

Chief Spokesperson of the LP PCC, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, in a chat with Vanguard said: “We in the Labour Party condemn electoral crime in all its ramifications. I’m certain the politicians being described by INEC are not within our rank or file, that is why we have been taking our plea for votes directly to Nigerians.

“Our candidate has been campaigning and appearing in debates and town hall meetings because he knows the power to put him and his running mate and of course our party in office is in the hands of the people.

“We enjoin Nigerians to beware of politicians, who stole from our common patrimony while in office at one time or another.

“These are the same people who have come to use these same stolen funds to try to buy their PVCs and their votes.

“Nigerian voters should also beware that Section 124 of the Electoral Act 2010 (As amended), makes it a criminal offence for anyone to buy or sell votes. Both offenses carry a punishment of 12 months in jail or a fine of N500,000 or both on conviction.”

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